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Kathleen Felix-Hager fell into the arena of dress design unintentionally when she joined the dress division at the 1995 movie Waterworld. “I was around the film industry growing up,” Felix-Hager mentioned. “My stepfather was in the business, so I was familiar with a lot of it, but the ins and outs of a costume department were very new to me, and [I] was able to have the best school ever on that film.” Since then, the Emmy-winning dress clothier has long gone directly to paintings on significantly acclaimed movies and tv initiatives comparable to Veep and Hacks.
For the newest episode of The Who What Wear Podcast, Felix-Hager stocks how she were given her get started within the leisure trade, how she landed the task on Hacks, and extra.
For excerpts from the dialog, scroll beneath.
I would like to listen to a bit bit about what led you to also be right here with this display. I’ve heard you roughly stumbled into dress design unintentionally. Is that proper?
Yes, very a lot unintentionally. My first task was once on a movie known as Waterworld in 1994. I used to be in a position to sign up for the dress division there and simply truly was once in a position to be informed at the task.
I used to be across the movie trade rising up. My stepfather was once within the industry, so I used to be acquainted with a large number of it, however the bits and bobs of a dressing up division have been very new to me, and [I] was once in a position to have the most efficient faculty ever on that movie. I used to be so inexperienced that I simply was once like a bit sponge, and I simply completely fell in love.
At what level thru that first revel in did you truly had a knack for dress design and sought after to make it right into a full-time profession?
I did not truly take into consideration it as a profession at that time as it was once in order that new to me, and I used to be fascinated by studying all I may be told. Every task resulted in any other task, and I simply truly replied to the truth that you have to inform a tale thru costumes. I discovered that attention-grabbing. I used to be a large reader as a kid. I nonetheless am a large reader, so I’ve a visible approach of taking a look at a script as a result of that and truly simply the way it can transfer a tale ahead. I discovered [it] attention-grabbing and galvanizing, so I simply stored plugging alongside.
How did you find yourself touchdown the task on Hacks in particular?
Morgan Sackett, who is [the] manufacturer of Hacks, was once the manufacturer on Veep, so I had labored with him up to now. He known as me up at some point, and he mentioned he had a few scripts he truly sought after me to learn [for] this new display starring Jean Smart. I learn the primary 3 scripts and had a gathering with Morgan and the showrunners—Lucia [Aniello], Jen [Statsky] and Paul [W. Downs]—and simply get on well. I truly replied so strongly to the scripts and the connection of those two girls at two other issues of their lives that I truly may see Deborah Vance in my head.
It was once 2020 when it came about, so it was once truly smack-dab in the midst of COVID. It was once like summer time of 2020, and I wasn’t even certain how we have been going to paintings thru it. To do one thing thrilling, new, and contemporary and inventive on this very bizarre time in the world helped stay me sane in an excessively tangible approach. I’m truly thankful for that a part of it additionally.
We have to discuss Deborah’s taste, which has additionally advanced from season one to season 4 in some ways. I imagine you based totally a few of Deborah’s seems to be to your grandmother. [Can you] proportion a bit bit about your grandmother’s taste and a few explicit reference issues from her that contributed to shaping Deborah’s entire vibe?
My grandmother’s title was once Mary, and he or she was once an excessively flamboyant lady who favored to smoke and drink and concentrate to jazz. You know, her hair was once finished. Her make-up was once finished, nails. Even if she had [on] a sweat go well with, it was once matching and in some way bedazzled. So she was once simply reasonably over-the-top.
She’s not with us, however I do have a big selection of her antique dress jewellery that she gathered, so I’d use a few of that on Deborah. I feel that my grandmother could be more than happy to look that. Talking with Jean about Deborah Vance, extra is extra. We could not put sufficient jewellery, sufficient trend, sufficient colour, sufficient feathers. At the start of season one, she was once reasonably hesitant to one of the most issues that I had urged. She could be eager about them, however she would say, “Oh, honey, I can’t wear that,” and I mentioned, “Well, no one’s in here but you and I, so let’s just try it on and see what happens.” She would put it on, and he or she’d take a look at me and say, “Well, you were right.” After a number of of the ones instances, she began to believe me, and I might put issues in combination, and he or she was once form of like, “That’s a lot, but I trust you.” We simply had a good time enjoying round with the over-the-top-ness of Deborah Vance.
This interview has been edited and condensed for readability.
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